


every star in every sky

by sunarists



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon Era, Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Torture, John Murphy Is a Little Shit (The 100), John Murphy-centric (The 100), Literal Sleeping Together, Living Together, Lovers to Friends, M/M, SPACE SQUAD, Strangers to Lovers, Sweaters, Swordfighting, Time Skips, if u squint, spacekru, this is tooth rotting im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:40:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24091492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunarists/pseuds/sunarists
Summary: six years is a long time.murphy makes peace with it-alternatively, scenes from the ring and how seven not-quite-strangers become a family
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/John Murphy, Echo & John Murphy (The 100), Emori & John Murphy (The 100), Emori/Raven Reyes, Harper McIntyre & John Murphy, Monty Green & John Murphy, Monty Green/Harper McIntyre
Comments: 11
Kudos: 134





	every star in every sky

**Author's Note:**

> some elements of this story are very similar to my fic "you want to die for love, you always have", but instead of it being completely murphy/murphamy centric, it's more of a murphy pov of their time on the ring and a dynamic study between the seven people that became spacekru (+ murphamy + remori/thief mechanic + marper). it has no relation to the other fic!!
> 
> enjoy :)
> 
> find me on tumblr: oliivverwood
> 
> MUSIC:  
> roslyn, bon iver  
> wake me, bleachers  
> stuck with u, ariana grande & justin beiber

The Ring is just as rickety and shitty as Murphy remembers it- it's cold, grey, and tainted with memories of-

Floating. His father was floated. Then his mother. 

Culling, the fucking _culling._ Bellamy remembers it too, the guilt he carries on his shoulders, Murphy can just tell by the twisted expression on his face. 

Being arrested- now _that's_ a fun shared memory that Monty, Harper and Murphy have. It's the only thing on their mind when they share a glance. Murphy can almost hear the click of cuffs echoing through the empty ship. 

Being sent to the ground. Coming back to the sky. Echo and Emori are staring down from the wide windowsills- of _course_ they're in shock. _They_ weren't raised in a floating scrap of metal in the sky. 

"Home sweet home." Raven says faintly, shucking off her spacesuit. "Six years starting now." 

* * *

Murphy's scrounging the ship for tech, everything and _anything_ that could help them preserve this dump, turn it into a _home._

He almost can't remember when the last time he considered the Ark as _home._

* * *

The first weeks are painfully awkward- they survived Praimfaya together, sure, but every tiny pull of tension that any of them had ever experienced was heightened as they tip-toed around each other, mumbled " _excuse mes"_ and " _sorries"_ and it makes Murphy _cringe_. 

Murphy feels guilty every time he sees Raven with that subtle wobble of hers, how she's scowling as she notices her brace is getting old and rickety. He notices Bellamy standing over the windowsills, standing over _Earth,_ and he's thinking of Octavia and Clarke, they're _all_ thinking of Clarke, Clarke who saved them _again._ They never appreciate what she has to bear for them until she's gone. 

And she's gone. 

Echo is quiet, at war with herself- she's used to war. It's comfortable for her. Murphy _gets it-_ he's had his own metaphorical sword to his stomach moment, feeling like you don't belong, like there was no place for him. Echo was a Grounder through and through, and suddenly she was in space, no Azgeda, no Roan, _nobody._

Emori- 

well. 

Emori's always been adaptable. She just misses Otan. 

Harper and Monty are constantly zipping around the Ring- starting the algae farm, fixing the oxygenators, checking their stock- it's coping, they're _coping,_ and Murphy won't stop them. 

* * *

"The algae farm is up and running." Monty says grandly. The smile that splits Murphy's face is surprising; more surprising is how the rest of them mirror it. 

It's the best news they've had all week. 

"But there's a catch." Monty loses the grandeur- in turn, they lose their smiles. "The first culture might be toxic- it won't kill anyone, but they'll be sick for a while. We can't know for sure- I don't have the resources to start new cultures from scratch, and-" 

"So someone needs to try it." Bellamy states, frowning when Monty nods. 

They sit silently. 

"Did we really survive-" Murphy raises his fingers, beginning to count down. "- being sent to Earth with no resources, getting attacked by Grounders, people getting trapped in a fucked up mountain, an AI that literally destroyed the world, and a nuclear meltdown, just to be killed by some fucking algae?" 

Harper's ready to whirl around and defend Monty, who _wilts-_ Murphy's right, he's _right._

"I'll try it." Bellamy says. "It won't kill me, right?" 

Monty nods- it's too hesitant, unconfident, Murphy doesn't like it at _all._ Bellamy can't be the next to die- fuck, they already lost Clarke-

"Absolutely not." Murphy sniffs. "You promised Clarke you'd keep us safe, and you can't do that if your dead body is stinking up this damn ship. I'll eat it." 

Bellamy's about to retort- Emori's looking at him strangely. 

Of course she would. Murphy's never willingly risked his life before- especially not for a _person._ Not for _people._

"No buts." Murphy snaps. "Give me the damn algae, and you guys can owe me for life." 

"Come again?" Raven says drily, propping her dead leg up on the table. Guilt pools in Murphy's stomach instantly. 

"Except you, Raven." Murphy mumbles. "I'll always owe you one." 

* * *

Murphy's unconscious for a week. The last thing he remembers is Bellamy screaming at him to stay awake. 

* * *

Monty's yelling down the Ring as soon as Murphy's vitalities spike. By the time his eyes are fluttering open, tearing up from the bright, fluorescent lights of the med bay, their little group is surrounding him anxiously. 

Something twinges Murphy's heartstrings at the sight of their worried eyes- it feels new, having people possibly care about him- it had been just him and Emori for so long- 

"Did someone die or something?" Murphy jibes croakily- their laughter chimes throughout the Ring for all of space to hear. 

* * *

It's not as tense, between them, after Murphy wakes up. Something about loss- no, an _almost_ loss, woke them up too. 

Murphy still mostly keeps to Emori and himself, walking through med bay and pretending to count their medicine stock. 

"We'll eat together." Bellamy announces one day, when they're lounging on the main deck. "At that table. Every day." 

It's a meagre attempt at a lifestyle- something to pass the time, maybe create a little bonding time. They all take one look at Bellamy's desperation and agree. 

"Okay, _dad."_ Monty mumbles, and giggles when Bellamy cuffs him around the head. 

* * *

Emori starts tentatively watching Raven working from afar- it makes Murphy feel mildly uncomfortable, not being the centre of Emori's attention. Call him selfish, but Emori was all he had.

He wasn't about to voice his clingy thoughts, his attachment issues _out loud._ So when Raven waves Emori over, and she glances at him for approval, he just shrugs. 

Voicing his thoughts out loud would imply that he cared.

And everybody knew that John Murphy didn't care at all. 

* * *

Murphy's always been an observer- he's gotten good at it too. He learns to understand people's tells, their tics when they're lying, when they're telling the truth, when they're happy, sad, angry excited nervousmelancholicawkward- 

Echo sits alone most days, doesn't speak at meals where they awkwardly chew on algae that's honestly _barely_ edible- she's lonely. She sits on the windowsills, looking down at the yellowed Earth sadly, idly polishing her swords and knives- the only things she had brought, a memento of her life on the Ground. Echo often murmurs under her breath, and he can catch the whispers of a Trigedasleng prayer bouncing off the cold tin walls. 

Bellamy seems to notices too- Murphy catches him looking at Echo, biting his lip as he wonders what to do with her.

Murphy shouldn't care. _Doesn't_ care. He _doesn't._

"Gonna use those any time soon?" Fuck, he _doesn't._

Echo looks at him blankly. "Want me to use them on you?" 

Murphy chuckles drily. "Teach me." 

She looks at him, surprised and a bit curious. "How to fight?" 

Murphy shrugs. "What, you got something better to do?"

* * *

Echo knocks him on his ass for the third time in a row. 

"I said _teach_ me, not _violate_ me." Murphy says, affronted and sore. Echo smiles- an honest to god _smile._ "Nice to see that _you're_ enjoying yourself." 

"You wouldn't last a minute training with Azgeda." She says lightly, helping him up. "We learned on the field." 

Murphy scowls. "I'd get them with a fucking gun first. I'd get _you._ I'm a traitor." 

Echo throws him his swords again. "No guns up here. Or traitors- I'm one, too, in case you haven't realised. Have a little more class, Murphy." 

Murphy sighs, preparing to get beaten for a fourth time. He holds up the two swords awkwardly- it feels heavy in his unused left hand- and attempts copying Echo's stance. 

"When I bring the sword down like this-" Echo manoeuvres. "Hold your sword up in a scissor position. That way, you can disarm me of one of my swords, and it becomes an unfair fight. Then I'll be on the defensive." 

Murphy listens carefully, feeling a lot like he was in Pike's Earth Skills class again- the familiar discomfort at being told what to do by a stranger simmering, but he pushes it down. 

"Now, do the whole sequence with me." Echo says. "And I'll switch up my moves- adapt to them." 

He nods, positioning himself again, and they begin. Echo charges immediately, and he dodges, swinging his swords at her, and makes a jab of his own. It's deflected easily, but Murphy doesn't have the time to be proud of the fact he managed to get a hit in on her. 

She swings her sword down on him, and it's almost by reflex that Murphy brings his swords up, pulling the blade out of her hands, letting it rattle on the floor loudly in the deafening silence. 

They stand there quietly for a moment.

Echo _laughs._

"You know what, Murphy?" She chortles. "I'll make a warrior out of you yet." 

Murphy taps her side gently with a sword. "Better than a traitor. Let's go again."

* * *

"I need a haircut." Monty announces at the table one day. Chatter between the seven of them had been almost non-existent- normally private conversations were the norm, Raven talking tech to Emori and Monty, Echo and Murphy speaking about _anything,_ Bellamy speaking to everyone.

Murphy notices that Monty's mop of black hair has gotten significantly longer, halfway down his face. It's unsuccessfully being held back by one of Harper's headbands- it looks _so_ silly. 

Murphy laughs. 

The six of them look at him strangely as he snorts between mouthfuls of algae, almost coughing it up with how _hard_ he's laughing. 

"Sorry, sorry." Murphy snickers, not sounding sorry at all. "Just _look_ at his hair- the headband is _useless-"_

Now Monty's being stared at, the rest of them trying to see the joke, see why Murphy was _losing_ it. 

Surprisingly, it's Raven that's the second to laugh. 

"He's right." Raven fights a smile. "It- _hah,_ it's so _shaggy-"_

Harper takes the headband off Monty, allowing the hair to fall down his face freely, and Murphy's in _tears_ with how funny he finds it. He's sure his own hair isn't anything special, but it's laughter that hasn't erupted like this for _months._ Now it's all coming out, a free flow of chuckles and snorts and snickers- Harper, Emori and Echo are laughing now too, mostly at Murphy's amusement than Monty himself. 

In the corner of his eyes, he notices Bellamy, Bellamy who always looked so _tired,_ crack a smile that seems to split his face. The crows feet at the corner of his eyes made him look so much older than the five years between them, his dimples deeply inset in freckled features.

It's kind of beautiful, Murphy thinks to himself, tearing his eyes away as the Ring is filled with sounds of their exhausted fun. 

When they finally calm down, their quiet again, save for some soft snuffles, and Monty's request is forgotten.

Almost.

"I can cut your hair." Echo says softly. "I have a knife that's small enough." 

Murphy holds a breath.

Monty tenses- Echo doesn't faltere, just waits. To allow Echo near Monty with a knife, Echo who could _filet_ them, would be the ultimate show of trust. Bellamy looks anxious, willing Monty to agree- he so _desperately_ wants them to be a functioning unit, a _team._

Clarke had always been so good at getting people to work together, rallying spirits, at _unification._

"Alright." Monty says quietly, offering Echo a small smile.

* * *

It turns out everyone thinks Murphy needs a haircut too, because somehow one of Echo's knives are in Bellamy's hands as Murphy sits in front of him. 

"I don't know how to cut hair." Bellamy whines at Echo. "Why am I doing it?" 

Echo looks at him like he's stupid, a little of her fighting spirit coming back to her, the spirit that had been gone since they arrived at the Ring. "Because Murphy needs a haircut, and I'm already doing Monty's and yours." 

"But _how?"_

"Just hold the hair against the knife and move it back and forth." 

Bellamy sighs, looking from the knife, to the hair, back to the knife. Murphy's getting impatient. 

"Oh come _on,_ it's just some _hair._ Make me pretty, would ya?" 

Bellamy exhales out of his nose in amusement, gently grabbing a strand of Murphy's too-long hair. "You trust me with a knife near your head?" 

Murphy rolls his eyes at him in the mirror, but he's completely serious when he says, "not at all." 

Bellamy huffs again, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Pretend for me, would ya?" 

* * *

Harper becomes a second member of Echo's little fighting class. 

"Fuck, are you serious?" Murphy groans. "This is just someone else that's going to hand me my ass." 

Harper raises her hands irately, a sarcastic picture of innocence. "If I had a gun, it'd be over for you." 

"One of the best sharpshooters you'll ever meet!" Monty calls from his spot on the other side of the main deck, tinkering with the controls. Harper blushes softly- they're so in love that Murphy feels a little sick. Maybe it's jealousy. He's not going to hurt himself dwelling on it. 

"I've seen you with a bow and arrow." Harper murmurs to Echo. "You're pretty damn good yourself." 

Echo sighs. "Too bad I used those skills to betray Roan during the conclave." 

Murphy surprises himself by piping up sharply. "You did it to survive. We've all done horrible things to survive." 

Echo shrugs at him, but he's glad to see her frown lessen slightly. 

"Okay, shut up about the fucking past already." Murphy swings his swords in figure-eight loops, shooting Echo a proud smirk. "Let's see you ladies make a man out of me. _"_

* * *

"You guys will _never_ guess what I found." Raven shouts, holding something behind her back excitedly. "It's the best thing I'll ever discover, I _swear."_

"That's big talk." Emori raises an eyebrow. " _This_ is Raven Reyes' biggest discovery?" 

Raven coos. "Emori, you think too much of me, but I don't exaggerate when I say it's the _best."_

She whips it around, revealing the mystery item to be a soccer ball. Instantly, Murphy and Harper cheer, slapping each other's hands. Bellamy looks at it with amazement, Monty looks at it with disdain, and Echo and Emori look at it curiously. 

"What is it?" Emori nudges Murphy. 

"It's a soccer ball." He whispers. "It's an old sport where you can't use your hands- it was really popular before the world ended. You have to kick it or use the other parts of the body." 

" _No_!" Monty groans. "I hate sports." 

"Then you can referee." Raven says smartly. "Bellamy, what crawled up your ass and died?" 

Bellamy scowls, flipping her off. "I always preferred watching basketball." 

Murphy blows a raspberry at him while Harper booed. 

"Remember when they used to play old matches in the big mess hall when we were little kids?" Harper says- her tone edges on nostalgic, something wistful tinging her voice. "Farm Station always supported whatever team was winning, those fucking frontrunners." 

"Hey!" Murphy snaps. " _I_ was Farm Station." 

"Me too." Monty scowls. "But I don't care, because I hated watching soccer." 

"Is that a past-tense I hear, darling?" Harper sing-songs. "Echo, Emori, you playing?"

The Grounder girls nod readily, thirsting at the idea of some healthy competition.

"Wait a minute-" Bellamy grumbles. "What if the ball hits something? And we die?" 

Raven rolls her eyes at him. "Calm down, _dad-"_

"Raven, _no_ , that's _so_ weird, we've literally-"

"- we'll go to the other end of the Ring." She finishes. "Nothing valuable over there, and there's these two massive doors that could be goals-" 

Bellamy folds his arms. 

" _Please?"_ Murphy almost whines. Bellamy looks at him in shock; then something unrecognisable flashes over his face as he blushes. 

"Fine." Bellamy grouses. "Only because you said please."

* * *

Emori, Raven and Bellamy are on a team that faces Harper, Murphy and Echo. Monty stands in the middle crankily, using his fingers as a whistle. They're playing shirts versus skins- Emori and Raven are in practical sports bras- Murphy's glad to see that they're no longer skin and bones, like they all had been in the earlier days of their time on the Ground. Bellamy is _huge,_ strong from the constant _work_ that he'd been doing since he stepped off that dropship behind Octavia. 

Murphy attempts ignoring how dry his mouth feels, jerking his head back to his team and erasing all thoughts of Bellamy. 

"I'm going to make a fool of myself, _Pramheda."_ Echo curses, habitually looking skywards and frowning when she only sees glinting metal and white lights. 

"If it makes you feel better." Harper offers. "We've never actually played soccer properly. We only watched it and kicked shit around." 

Murphy glances across the hall at Raven, who's looking at him hungrily. He gulps- while they've put their differences aside in lieu of making room for forgiveness, he knows that Raven isn't above a little revenge.

And if there's anyone that deserves a little karma, it's Murphy. 

He gulps again. 

"Kick-off!" Monty announces, clapping his hands. "I want a clean, fair game." 

"Damn." Raven pouts, throwing an arm around Emori quickly. "We were _so_ about to get Murphy." 

Murphy flips them off, feeling much less unsettled about Emori's closeness with Raven. His attachment to her had been ebbing away with every day that he woke up on the Ring, sniping at Bellamy and training with Echo and joking with Harper. 

He knew that if he and Emori weren't JohnandEmori anymore, he wouldn't be alone. 

Monty whistles, and they're off. Harper beats Emori in the kickoff, passing it back to Echo, who lets it roll in front of her. She looks at it unsurely while Raven is charging at her, a competitive spark glinting in her eyes- she's practically _glowing,_ and is still intimidatingly fast for someone with a dead leg. 

Then Echo steps to the left, bringing the ball with her- and Raven misses her completely. Murphy whoops, and Echo brightens immediately, kicking the ball up the side of the hall and passing it to Murphy. He slides past Bellamy with ease and taps it into the doorway. 

"One nil to shirts!" Monty announces, accepting a peck from a celebrating Harper. 

"Echo, you're a natural!" Harper crows, smacking Echo's hand loudly, offering Murphy a fist. He bumps it hesitantly, returning the smile.

They go again, and Raven bodyslams Murphy onto the floor and steals the ball from him, passing it to Bellamy who clumsily kicks it to Emori. Emori scores a goal, and their celebration rings loud and clear through the hall. 

It's about twenty minutes into their impromptu soccer match that Murphy's running the ball up the line again. He's so concentrated that he doesn't see Bellamy blocking his way, and he crashes into him, the both of them falling onto the hard floor in a tangle of limbs. 

"Ouch." Bellamy says mildly. Murphy landed on top of him, grunting at the contact. 

"Clumsy much, Murphy?" Bellamy pokes him in the ribs. Murphy sneers at him, but it lacks malice. 

( _Holy shit, he's on top of Bellamy Blake, who's shirtless and sweaty and really, Murphy's killed people, he's almost died, why on_ Earth _is his heart in his throat?)_

Murphy gets up, pulling Bellamy with him. The way their hands fit together perfectly makes Murphy's heart skip a beat.

_(He swallows the heart, but it just jumps back up)_

"Hope you didn't enjoy that too much." Murphy sniffs, falling back on his age-old habits of sarcasm and borderline-mean remarks- it's a mask, it's _always_ been a mask, but it works too damn well for him to let go of it completely. 

"I did." Emori hoots. "Cute show, boys." 

Murphy shoots her a glare, and she- _fuck-_ she _winks._

He thinks that they're going to need to talk soon. 

* * *

Monty's managed to concoct his famous still; Murphy practically salivates at the announcement- booze! Finally, some fucking booze!

"I'm warning you-" Monty places one of the large bottles in front on their table. "-if you think my algae is bad, this is so, so much worse." 

Raven makes grabby hands at it, uncapping it and taking a generous swig. Immediately, she coughs, coughs _hard._ Monty winces apologetically. 

"It's disgusting." Raven chokes. "I love it."

She bravely takes another sip, fighting a gag and pressing the bottle into Murphy's hands. 

"Might as well make it a party." Murphy sighs, raising the bottle in toast before tipping his head back. 

Monty hadn't lied- it was revolting. Murphy relished it. 

They passed the bottle around, Bellamy looking at it warily when Harper gave it to him with a pursed face. 

"Come on, your Highness." Emori teases. Bellamy tenses a bit.

Murphy knows he's thinking of Clarke, Clarke their _princess._

Clarke, who was dead. 

"All the more reason to drink, Blake." Murphy whispers across the table.

Bellamy looks at him thoughtfully, and throws his head back, his throat bared and his Adam's apple bobbing. Murphy drinks it in while Bellamy drinks the still. 

"I have Jasper's old mixtape." Monty mumbles. "But I don't know how to hook it up to the ship speakers." 

Raven stands. "I can." 

It's only moments later that The Violent Femmes are screeching through the ship; Monty, Bellamy and Raven look dazed, as if half in a memory that Murphy and the rest of them don't share. 

"I was so awful to him in that rover." Monty says lowly. 

Murphy wonders what they're thinking. He wonders what they're feeling. 

"Was Jasper's favourite song." Monty mumbles between lyrics. Raven's taken ahold of the bottle again, singing into it as if it was a microphone. "It was his favourite because it was Maya's favourite."

Murphy wonders who Maya was. What she meant to Jasper.

Echo snatches the bottle from Raven at that, taking a deep gulp. "That damn Mountain." 

Bellamy sighs deeply. "That damn Mountain indeed." 

They let The Violent Femmes fill their silence, fill their _void._ Murphy hadn't realised that Monty was still mourning- how stupid of him! Monty and Jasper loved each other to death- side-by-side on the Ark and on the Ground and even in his passing. 

"Dance with me, John." Emori pulls him up. He obliges her, purely because he's not sure how much longer he can watch Monty in his sadness. He takes another drink and moves along with her stiffly.

Stiff. He's stiff- what he had once had with Emori had been fluid. 

"You know I love you right?" Emori murmurs in his ear as they rock against each other. He nods, guilty as he tears his eyes away from Bellamy. 

"I don't think we love each other the way we used to." She says again, softly and kindly, far from the edge and snark that he had fallen in love with. 

Murphy should feel sad. He should feel _something._

"Oh." He breathes. 

He feels _relief._

"We had our fun." She says cheekily, and Murphy laughs, bumping her with his hip.

"We sure did." He mutters. "But hopefully less fun than what you're gonna get with Raven." 

Emori splutters, gasping affrontedly while he cackles, stepping back from her. 

"Reyes!" He calls, successfully getting the girl's attention. "Cut in for me, would you?" 

He ignores Emori's death stare digging into his back as he walks back to the table, whistling cheerily, feeling relaxed- maybe it's the alcohol, maybe it's another weight off his shoulders- who knows and who _cares?_

He's happy to see that Monty's cheered up significantly when he sits down. He's laughing uproariously at something Echo is saying, and he slides the bottle towards Murphy. 

"Emori and I just broke up." Murphy blurts, quickly busying himself with the bottle to hide his blush. 

( _What the hell'd he say that for?)_

"Oh." Echo states dumbly. 

"It's okay!" Murphy squeaks embarrassedly, purposefully avoiding Bellamy's questioning gaze. "It was a long time coming! We're not sad!"

If he could float himself, he would, _fuck._

Monty pats him on the hand.

"You needed to make room for Raven somehow." He whispers conspiratorially- they burst in to chuckles at that. Murphy's feeling his head buzz- it's satisfying, he enjoys it, he _relishes_ it. 

He finally glances at Bellamy, catching his eye. He holds the stare, holds it even when he's pouring the still down his throat. 

Bellamy looks away first with a blush.

* * *

They keep cycling through their days playing soccer, drinking Monty's still, learning to fight, and tinkering with the ship. They all eat their meals together now, by habit- after the past couple years, they're feeling more like a family than a rag-tag group of survivors. Murphy notices with affection how proud Bellamy looks when he watches them, how they all interact and how they all _care._

All of them have learned to fight from Echo at this point- Bellamy and her are easily the best of the group, but Murphy can keep up. 

The day he put Echo on the floor was the proudest day of his life. 

"Did you go easy on me?" He demands, panting as he pulls her up. 

Echo shakes her head, a faint curve on her mouth. "You're getting good, Murphy." 

"Try _me_." 

Bellamy steps away from the wall where he'd been observing them. Echo tosses him her swords, which he catches easily. He twirls them in loops, gripping the handles roughly. 

"Didn't know you were looking to get your ass kicked." Murphy jeers, gnashing his swords together. 

"Tough guy, aren't you?" Bellamy teases, and Murphy lunges. 

Jab, jab, step, parry. On the offensive, switch to defensive. Left, right, up, down. It becomes rhythmic, a dance to music of swords clanking and the hiss of blades slicing through the air. 

The thrill of narrowly avoiding a cut, the adrenaline rush from a good offense- Murphy's always been one to stay away from the action, one looking to survive the next day, but now he's grown to _love_ a fight.

"Echo's right." Bellamy breathes as they step away for a second, eyeing each other up and down. Murphy. "You're _getting_ good. I'm already great." 

" _Bite_ me." Murphy snarls, spinning towards him in a twister of sharp sharp _sharp_. Bellamy smirks, stepping out of the way. 

"Biting?" Harper calls from her seat next to Raven and Emori. "Kinky." 

Murphy fights the urge to throw a sword at her, instead focusing back on Bellamy, but it's too late. The older, bigger man takes advantage of his distraction and knocks him onto his back. Murphy is temporarily winded- not for long, but enough for him to act like he really is. 

"Are you okay?" Bellamy approaches him, concerned. Murphy sticks his foot out and trips him, getting up just to push him down to the ground, pinning him down with a knee on either side of his hips, and pressing a sword to his neck. 

"Damn it!" Bellamy snaps, as Murphy whoops, looking at Echo for approval before quickly looking away. 

A habit that he's never quite been able to drop- looking for some leader, some authority figure. He's growing out of it, like he grew out of a lot of things, but he relapses occasionally. 

It's only when he looks back down at Bellamy that he realises he's straddling him. Blood rushes to his face, and he attempts hiding a flush.

"Already great, are we?" Murphy tosses his swords away, allowing Bellamy to do the same, preparing to stand up. "I'd say we go hand-to-hand, but I'd crush you." 

Bellamy suddenly explodes, rolling them over until he's on top, holding a hand loosely to his throat. 

"That's because you play dirty." Bellamy says- is his voice wispy, maybe breathless? Murphy's heart is beating out of his chest. 

"That's survival, Blake." He says lowly. "Game on. I'll _show_ you playing dirty."

* * *

"That was hot." Raven says matter-of-factly, smirking, after Bellamy's walked off and Murphy's sitting at the desk with her, his feet propped up by a lever that's probably quite important. He's tempted to kick it. Maybe they'd die, and he wouldn't have to survive endless teasing from the girls.

"Shut it, Reyes." He scowls. 

"Get a shower, loser." Emori chimes. "You stink." 

Murphy was already planning on getting a shower. A very, very cold one.

* * *

Some days feel a bit bleaker than others- after weeks of the same cycle, when they've eaten so much algae that it's become tasteless, when all of them have scored hundreds of goals, when Monty's bitter still becomes as easy as drinking water. 

Today is one of those days- Murphy's sitting on the floor next to a large window, unable to sleep and nursing a lukewarm, half-empty bottle of booze. 

He remembers when they first landed on Earth- Earth and all it's possibilities, Earth and it's sweet water and open air, Earth and it's abundance of flowers and trees so tall that you couldn't see the top. 

It had been beautiful- so _scary,_ but so _beautiful,_ so full of excitement. Even if it was going to kill them, there was never a boring day on the Ground.

Murphy could appreciate that. After all, they _were_ going to float him when he turned 18. There's no way they'd risk another case of _arson_ on a spaceship. 

Looking down and the yellow, blackened wasteland made him miserable. It made him regret it all, regret how they killed the planet. Humankind _killed_ it.

"Hi." 

Murphy jumps at the sudden interruption to his reverie- it's Raven, who's got deep inset bags under her bloodshot eyes. She's got a blanket wrapped around her; it's only then that Murphy realises that he's freezing. 

"You can sit." He murmurs, tucking his legs closer to make room for her. 

"I was gonna anyways." She snipes half-heartedly, but she half-smiles appreciatively anyways, sitting next to him. She throws one end of the blanket around him, and he accepts it gratefully. 

"One of those days, huh." Murphy says quietly, his eyes never leaving the Earth. 

"I never thought I'd miss the Ground so much." Raven says softly. "I mean, I wasn't even one of the original Hundred. But Earth- compared to the Ark, and... and _this,_ I don't know-" 

"Me too." Murphy mumbles. "The Ground brings out the best and worst in us." 

He's mortified to note that the lump in his throat is very much audible, so he immediately falls silent. 

Raven turns to him. "You know, I forgive you for my leg. You know that, right?" 

Murphy shrugs. "I'm still sorry. I'll always be sorry." 

She elbows him gently. "You going soft on me, Murphy?" 

He chortles, low and wet. "Maybe a bit. Just a bit. Nothing crazy." 

"We've all done horrible things." She sighs, and the light of the galaxies outside of them illuminate the tear rolling down her cheek. "Fear is one crazy son of a bitch." 

"Come on Reyes," he snorts. "You're the only reason anyone's still alive at this point." 

Raven bites her lip. "I have my regrets. The whole ALIE thing, for one." 

"That wasn't your fault." Murphy says miserably. "If anything, that's on me. You took it because of your leg." 

"Not really, to be honest." She admits. "That was a- a positive side effect, not feeling the pain in my leg. But- Fi-" She sniffles again. Murphy thinks it's a rare thing, to see the great Raven Reyes cry. He lets her. 

"Finn." He finishes, blinking tears away from his eyes. "Yeah. If it makes you feel better, I fucked up in my first hour on the ground." 

"Oh yeah?" 

Murphy sends her a half-smile. "I wrote, ' _first son, first to die.'_ Except I spelt ' _die'_ wrong." 

Raven lets out an amused laugh, snickering through her tears. "Idiot." 

"And _then-_ " He continues. "Bellamy tried teaching me how to throw a knife. And when I finally got it, I was so pissed off that I left it in the tree. A girl fucking- she fucking killed Wells with it." 

Raven's reaches for the bottle, taking a deep swig- she's willing to listen, so Murphy's willing to talk. "Keep going." 

"I got accused." He says. "They hung me. And then the kid threw herself off a cliff- I never _wanted_ that. Then I was banished." 

Raven drinks again. "Insert me." 

"Yes." He smirks, which slowly melts off his face into a frown. "Insert Raven Reyes. I come back with a fucking _disease_ after being tortured by Grounders for three days, and get everyone sick. I kill two guys, and I hold Jasper hostage. I hang Bellamy and shoot you, then blast a hole through the ship. I get captured by Grounders again, tortured again."

"Then you find me." 

"Then I find you." Murphy whispers. "Dying. Because of me." 

"Oh, Murphy." Ravens sighs. "We can't cry over spilt milk." 

"Watch me." He jibes, eliciting a short chuckle. 

"I was instrumental in the deaths of over 300 Grounders." Raven mumbles. "They burned to death." 

Murphy snatches the still. "Are we competing?" 

"No." Raven laughs. "You'd definitely win." 

They drink in silence, for a bit, the constant hum of machinery the only sound, the silhouette of the two of them wrapped up in a blanket over the yellowed light of Earth.

* * *

The seven of them sleep in the med-bay, the only area on the Ring with beds. They divide the room by curtains- even a sliver of privacy is still appreciated. 

In the first few years, sometimes people would wake up screaming. Harper would try and calm down a Monty that was begging Jasper to come with them. Raven would remember Finn, remember ALIE. Echo often murmured in her sleep, snippets of Trigedasleng floating through the hall while they listened to her regrets. Murphy didn't have nightmares, normally because he'd sleep only when his body was giving out from exhaustion. 

It's gotten better, over the years, as time heals all wounds- but just like there are those days, there are also those nights.

Murphy's bed is between Echo's and Bellamy's, who's on the end. Bellamy is often the quietest out of them all- Murphy thinks he's just pretending he's okay, that it's a facade for the purposes of making them feel safer. 

It's another weight for him to bear. Murphy's heart goes out to him. 

( _"I bear it so they don't have to." He remembers Bellamy saying, remembers Clarke saying_ )

It's another one of those nights where Murphy just can't fall into a slumber. It's too hot, it's too cold, his eyes fly open as a recurring memory haunts him again. His bed creaks every time he jerks up, his heart beating a mile a minute. 

He settles for sitting up, staring at the dark while his eyes adjust, thinking- it's a miserable way to spend his nights, but he's grown used to it. 

"Murphy?" 

A whisper from the other side of the curtain. Bellamy Blake is also wide awake. 

"Yeah?" Murphy murmurs. He hears Echo snuffle, and the both of them remain quiet till her breathing evens out again. 

"Can I come in?" 

Murphy sits up, swinging his legs over the end of the bed. "Yeah." 

Bellamy takes care not to swing the curtains too loudly- he's got on a worn pair of sweatpants and an old Alpha Station sweatshirt they'd found in a lost and found box on the Ring. He looks so soft- gentle, not at all the fierce warrior-killer- _savior_ that people had grown used to seeing from Bellamy Blake.

"Do you mind if I sit?" Bellamy mumbles- his voice sounds tired, croaky and sore. 

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Murphy asks guiltily. Bellamy shakes his head. 

"Can't sleep." He says, settling on the other end of the bed and crossing his legs. 

"Neither." Murphy rolls his eyes at himself. "Which you already knew- fuck, I'm losing my mojo." 

Bellamy stifles a laugh in a sleeve that's too long, creeping past the tips of his fingers. "You can't be a smartass twenty-four-seven."

"I can!" Murphy quietly exclaims, offended. "Be careful what you wish for. I'm very mean."

"I don't doubt it. I wouldn't have it any other way." Bellamy mumbles, scratching at his stubble. 

They sit quietly, breathing evenly. Bellamy looks like he's going to melt from exhaustion. 

"You should sleep." Murphy says quietly. "You don't need to keep me company." 

Bellamy jolts, and Murphy thinks he can see him bite his lip. "I- I won't be able to sleep." He stammers, nervous. 

"You look like you're doing fine." Murphy comments confusedly. "I'm not trying to kick you out, but I don't want you to stay on my account."

"I used to sleep next to Octavia when I had nightmares." Bellamy admits quietly, his voice shaking. "I've never liked being alone." 

"Oh." Murphy says dumbly. "Okay." 

A beat. It's not awkward, but a tension is filling the air. 

"You can sleep here, if you want." Murphy blurts, slapping a hand over his mouth as he hears Harper's snores stutter. "I mean, only if you want to." 

"I can't do that to you." Bellamy says quickly, and Murphy already _knows_ that he's blushing, even if he can't see it. 

Murphy rolls his eyes- Bellamy can't see it, but it's the sentiment that counts. "Don't be fucking stupid, Blake. I can't sleep anyways. Get in." 

Murphy raises the blanket, allowing Bellamy to crawl under it unsurely. It's a tight fit, the little hospital bed, and their sides are pressed together. 

"Thank you." Bellamy says quietly, his voice thick with sleep. Murphy's heart is bouncing around his chest as he faintly sees the older man's eyes flutter. Moments later, Bellamy's breaths have deepened, and he's fast asleep. 

"Anytime." Murphy whispers, long after Bellamy's fallen into the grasps of slumber. He lays his head down on his pillow and shuts his eyes, matching his breathing to Bellamy's. 

Warm. He feels warm. Calm. At ease. 

Sleep finally comes to him, and he welcomes it with open arms. 

* * *

Murphy wakes up in what feels like a blink of an eye, feeling the most rested he'd felt in ages. 

Bellamy's still asleep- the both of them had shucked off the blanket, each other's body heat being more than enough. Bellamy's arm had found it's way around Murphy's waist, the older man's head resting in the crook of his neck.

It was comfortable. 

Murphy was horrified at how _natural_ it felt. 

It's not long before Bellamy's eyes are flitting open, squinting. They fly open when he realises he's not alone, jerking up before relaxing at the memory of the night before. 

"Morning sunshine." Murphy says irately, studying his fingernails like he hadn't been staring at Bellamy's curls, hadn't been staring at his countless freckles, at the long eyelashes that hung over his sharp cheekbones. 

"Did I keep you up?" Bellamy says- his voice is close to a growl from an early morning, and Murphy almost melts off the bed. 

"No." Murphy says. "I slept. Really well." 

Bellamy scratches his face. "Oh- me too." 

They stare at each other awkwardly, all blushes and awkward nail biting and uncomfortable teeth gnashing. 

"Can we do it again?" They blurt at the same time. Bellamy's face flushes immediately- it's endearing, Murphy thinks, looking at him dazedly. 

"Good." He whispers. "We're sorted." 

* * *

"So I opened your curtain this morning like I normally do with everyone-" Monty pulls him aside anxiously, chattering at the speed of light. "- just because I check on everyone in the morning to see if they're okay because I'm normally up first and then Harper saw and called Emori and Raven over to see before I could tell her that maybe she shouldn't and then Emori told Echo so if you and Bellamy were a secret or something I'm really really reallyreallyreally sorry-" 

"Monty!" Murphy interrupts, shaking his shoulders gently. "There's nothing to hide. We just couldn't sleep- turns out we find it's a little better to have someone next to you. Nothing more than that." 

"Oh." Monty relaxes. "Okay. Cool. Sorry." 

"Quit it." Murphy pokes him. 

A beat of silence. 

"You guys _aren't_ a thing." Monty repeats. Murphy coughs slightly. 

"No, Monty." Murphy sighs. "We're not a _thing."_

* * *

Bellamy's bed remains untouched for months.

* * *

It's a pretty nasty fight they have. He chooses not to think about it, chooses not to think about how it started.

He doesn't care- he only know how it ends.

It makes Murphy queasy, knowing he's going to sleep alone tonight- no, not _sleep._ Just lie in bed staring at the ceiling, hoping that his thoughts and memories don't choke him. 

* * *

On night two, Harper enters his makeshift room of curtains. 

"You two can't sleep." She states, passing him a glass of water. Murphy appreciates Harper- how she runs around taking care of everyone, taking care of five big egos and Monty. How she holds Monty when he's reminded of Jasper. How she listens to Echo and Emori, their stories of the ground when they miss it. 

"Don't know what you're talking about." He mutters, forcing a gulp of water. 

She looks at him the way his mother used to look at him when he blatantly lied to her, but he holds his stance, scowling. 

"Bellamy almost cut my head off in training today." She commented. "He's never been so distracted before. He couldn't even hold up the swords." 

Murphy's frown deepens. "Not my problem." 

Harper groans. "Come _on,_ Murphy. This isn't you- not anymore." 

Murphy looks at her, mouth opening to snap back, say something cruel, something that would _hurt._

It snaps shut instead, and she looks at him, satisfied. 

It wasn't him. Not anymore.

"You know what to do." She pats his back, before stepping out, leaving Murphy to his curtains. 

* * *

On the third night of restlessness, Murphy caves. 

He's always been a stubborn boy, but the pull of sleep is almost physically _paining_ him. He's exhausted, cranky, and miserable. 

Bellamy's breaths are still shallow- he's still awake, plagued by thoughts of Octavia, of Clarke, of Jasper and Monty and Murphy and Echo and Emori and Raven and Harper and MillerFinnMonroeAtomWells-

His people. Always so worried about his people. 

Murphy supposed even Atlas eventually had to get used to the weight of the sky. 

"Bellamy?" He whispers, his voice laden with misery. 

It's a moment that passes that makes Murphy worry, panic bubbling as he wonders if Bellamy won't forgive him, won't answer, and Murphy will never sleep again. 

"Yes?" 

Relief. It floods him. 

"I'm sorry." Murphy doesn't let his voice crack, but it wavers slightly. He hears Bellamy's breath catch. "Please come to bed." 

_To bed._ _Their_ bed. 

It's no longer a foreign concept. Hadn't been for a while. 

The curtains swish as Bellamy shuffles in, moving over Murphy to slide into his place so naturally, his head finding Murphy's shoulder and his arm pulling him tighter. Murphy's surprised, but allows it. 

"It's okay." Bellamy mumbles sleepily into Murphy's shirt. "Did you know I almost cut off Harper's head the other day?" 

Murphy's chest rumbles with laughter. "Yeah, I heard. Needy much?" 

Bellamy only responds by pulling him closer. 

Murphy spirals into sleep the fastest he ever has. 

* * *

In the midst of their drunken stupor, Raven's managed to find even more music in the ship database, and they blare it so loudly that Murphy can't hear himself think. He's sitting in between Bellamy and Echo while Harper and Monty dance together alongside Raven and Emori.

"Look at Emori." Echo giggles, watching the Grounder girl weave an arm around the mechanic's waist. 

Bellamy sips at his still, his eyes crinkled in a smile. "Let's make bets on who makes the first move, quickly." 

"What are we betting with?" Murphy asks. 

Bellamy shrugs. "Bragging rights." 

"I'm betting on Emori." Echo says swiftly. 

"Me too." Bellamy says confidently. Murphy looks at the two of them in shock. 

"You're _kidding."_ Murphy scoffs. "I'm on Raven. I'll never let you guys forget this when I win." 

He's nudged sharply from both sides, winding him successfully. 

They watch with eagle-eyes as Raven and Emori dance closer and closer to one another, their hips rocking in tandem. Raven twirls Emori with a laugh- Murphy's glad to see Emori so happy, happy to see how they've grown from two robbers scavenging the streets to _this._

"Come on, Emori." Echo mumbles into her drink, her eyes half-lidded as she watches the pair. 

The song reaches a fever pitch- and Raven grabs Emori by the face and just _plants_ one on her, rough and uncoordinated in their alcohol-inflicted state. Murphy whoops, standing up and over Echo and Bellamy, who groan in sync. 

"Get _fucked._ " He ruffles their hair. Echo scowls at him, while Bellamy smiles from under long lashes. 

"What are _you_ guys making a racket about?" Emori calls confidently, but her pink cheeks give her away. 

Murphy spreads his arms grandly. "I win, and they lose. What's new?"

"Hardy-har." Raven rolls her eyes, her arm wrapped snugly around Emori's waist. "Hilarious."

* * *

Murphy's lost his sweater again- it's happened too frequently these past few days, for fuck's sake, and he's _cold._ It's difficult to stay warm in _space._

He rifles through the med-bay with a snarl, half-heartedly wondering if people could see a metaphorical raincloud over his head. Heh. That'd be funny- 

Murphy's hopeful as he grabs a sleeve, half-hidden under Monty's blanket- and frowns when he realises it's Bellamy's blue Alpha Station sweater. 

Tentatively, after whirling his head around to make sure he was alone, he brings it to his nose. 

Something citrusy, metallic, and _clean._ Bellamy Blake, through and through. His heart aches a little while his stomach twists into knots. 

Then he puts it on. 

Murphy's sure Bellamy will understand- he knows how _cold_ Murphy gets. 

He strolls out onto the main deck, where Harper and Echo are talking in hushed tones. They clam up when they see Murphy approaching, but make room for him. 

"Wait a minute." Harper's eyes glint mischievously. "Isn't that Bellamy's sweater?" 

Murphy glares at her, waiting for her to falter. Her grin only gets larger, and it's moments like this that Murphy wishes he was able to make people cry just with a look and a few choice words, just like he had in the early days on the Ground. 

"That would be correct." Murphy snaps. " _Only_ because I can't find mine, and I'm fucking _freezing."_

Echo pouts at him mockingly. "Poor Murphy." 

"Yes." He groans dramatically. "Poor me." 

It's this moment that Raven and Bellamy turn the corner of the hall onto to the main deck- Murphy's eyes are drawn to him, like they always are- 

Lo and behold, his beloved Farm Station pullover, the one that Monty and him had viciously fought over till they found another one. 

"Blake!" Murphy points at him. "You stole my sweater!" 

Harper begins giggling.

Bellamy folds his arms crossly. "Only because you stole _mine._ I was fucking _freezing."_

Echo snorts, not at all subtle.

Murphy's mouth drops open at the accusation. "I've been looking for my sweater all morning. I found yours on Harper's bed." 

"Why the _fuck_ would it be on-" Bellamy's eyebrows furrow. "Oh, you two are _terrible."_

The last part is directed at Echo and Harper, who are trying to hide their laughter to no avail. 

"Echo didn't know what a prank was!" Harper said between chuckles. "I _had_ to show her." 

Echo nods quickly, backing her up, and Bellamy's face softens. 

"Just letting you know, Bell." Murphy crosses his arms over the Alpha Station sweater protectively. "We're not switching back until I'm warm again." 

Bellamy scowls. "Likewise." 

A few hours later, Murphy catches Bellamy with the sleeves of _his_ sweater held up to his nose, and Murphy's heart melts into a little puddle of goop at his feet.

* * *

"You guys are like family to me." Emori blurts one day while they're eating. They silence their chatter, the clanking of spoons against bowls, waiting for her to continue. 

"I mean-" she reddens- Murphy's _so_ proud of her, Emori who once would have rather _died_ than open up. They were similar that way. "- I used to have Otan, and only Otan. And then I met John, and we were all we had for a while." 

She fiddles with her hands, her _bare_ hands, hands that she wasn't afraid to hide anymore. "I thought Abby was going to test the- the nightblood on me- and even if she didn't, there was no way you guys would take me, take _us_ here with you."

Emori accepts a one armed hug from Raven, who's listening intently besides her. 

"I guess I just never thought I'd have this." She gestures at them, their _family._ "And the circumstances, they- like, _suck,_ because the world is all burnt up, but I love you guys." 

_Love._

Love love love lovelovelovelovelovelove. It fills the gaps between them silently.

It feels nice. It's not Murphy's first rodeo, but it envelopes him anyways, just as warm and kind as all the other times.

"Who are we?" Harper asks softly. "Murphy, Monty, Raven, Bellamy and I are Skaikru. Echo, you're Azgeda. And Emori, you're a Grounder. What makes _us?"_

They sit on that for a minute, then two. 

"Spacekru." Echo announces, smiling faintly. "We can be Spacekru." 

Bellamy looks like he's ready to cry, his nose ruddy and his eyes wet. Murphy doesn't comment on it.

"I like it." Monty announces, grinning with a mouthful of algae between his teeth. Murphy grimaces, throwing his spoon at him. 

"Just because we're family doesn't mean you can chew with your mouth open, Green." Murphy gags. "Yuck." 

Family. 

Murphy smiles to himself. 

It had been a while.

* * *

It's another routine morning when Murphy wakes up, eyelashes fluttering as he throws an arm over his eyes, cursing about the light. 

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" A voice croaks from next to him. Murphy snorts. 

"My mom is dead." Murphy states smartly, rolling onto his side to face Bellamy. Bellamy's face was smushed into the pillow, his dark curls splayed like a halo. His eyes weren't open, but he was awake. 

"So is mine." Bellamy mutters. "But they'd be horrified to hear you cuss like that." 

Murphy flicks Bellamy in the ear. "You're no saint yourself, Blake. I heard you when you tripped over Raven's boots the other day." 

Bellamy groans embarrassedly, pressing his whole face into the pillow, before finally propping himself up on an elbow. "Shut up, Murphy." 

" _You_ shut up." 

Bellamy laughs, tinkling through the room. They're always the last to wake up, so Murphy isn't worried about anyone else listening on them. 

"Nice middle-school comeback." Bellamy snickers. "Old Murphy would've insulted me till I cried." 

Murphy sniffs at him. "Old Murphy sadly can't come to the phone now- you're stuck with new and improved Murphy." 

Bellamy grins at him, toothy and youthful- Murphy's heart jumps. "I like new and improved Murphy." 

"I like _you."_ Murphy spilled, before smacking his hand over his mouth, eyes widening as he watched Bellamy process that. 

They stare at each other, Bellamy thoughtfully while Murphy looked on fearfully, silence stretching between them. Murphy's ruined it, he's absolutely _bombed_ it, there's _no_ coming back from this one-

"Good." Bellamy sighs. "It'll be way less awkward when I do this." 

Murphy's eyebrows jump in confusion. "Do wha-" 

He's cut off by a mouth on his- _Bellamy's_ lips, soft and chaste. It lacks bite, there's no anger. 

Just Murphy, Bellamy, pressed together on a tiny hospital bed in space. 

It's over too fast, and Murphy takes his time opening his eyes- he's at a loss for words, he's searching for anything, _everything_ to say. 

"You can't just _ambush me!"_ Murphy says dramatically. "I have _morning breath."_

Bellamy guffaws, holding his stomach as he shakes with laughter. "Get used to it, Murphy."

Murphy sniffs, letting Bellamy lie back down, half curled on him. 

"I think I will." He whispers, his hands finding Bellamy's hair and stroking it softly. 

* * *

**ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER**

Murphy's running down the line, dodging a defense from Emori as he bounces the ball off the wall and back into his feet. He slips it past Raven to Harper, who passes it back to him. 

"Show me what you got, Murphy." Bellamy calls, stepping backwards slowly while Murphy sized him up, moving forward. Murphy dribbles the ball left, than right, twisting Bellamy's feet around, and finally passing the ball through his legs and into the goal just as Monty blows the whistle for time, breaking the tie by one goal. Murphy throws his arms up and cheers, catching Harper in his arms and Echo on his back while Raven falls to her knees with a wail. Bellamy and Emori groan in tandem, loudly ringing through the hall while Murphy's team's cheers at a volume high enough to drown out their misery. 

"And the winners of our final game on the Ring are Harper, Echo and Murphy!" Monty announces, handing them a makeshift trophy that was fashioned out of an ugly scrap of metal. Murphy holds it up dramatically, letting Echo kiss it. 

"You play dirty, Murphy." Bellamy shouts, but there's a teasing smile tinging his lips, and he snakes an arm around his waist, pulling Murphy to him tightly. 

"You're just mad you didn't win the last game." Murphy says pompously, pecking Bellamy on the cheek quickly. Not quick enough- Harper and Monty catch them and coo. 

"It was a good last game, guys." Raven concedes from on top of Emori's back. "I will lose with grace and dignity." 

"I won't." Emori scoffs. "Bellamy's right, Murphy plays dirty." 

"You snooze, you lose." Murphy says, his voice oozing with cockiness. "Don't hate the player, hate the game." 

"I hate both." Monty calls, flipping Murphy off. 

They all find their way back to the main deck, looking through the windowsill. It was their last day on the Ring; tomorrow, Raven and Emori would successfully steer them back to the Ground, where they'd reunite with the people of the bunker. 

They choose to be quiet, just for a few seconds, listening to the machine hum and the electric hiss of the lights- the ship that had become alive with them, breathing with them.

"I'm going to miss this piece of shit in the sky." Echo sighs, leaning her head against the window. "Just a bit." 

Monty's biting his lip, looking anxious in his ponder. 

"D'ya think-" Monty stammers. "We'll be the same, when we get back down there?" 

Emori seems to be wondering the same thing, her eyes glassy as she's stuck in her thoughts. 

"Of course we will." Raven says confidently- confidently enough that Murphy believes her. "We didn't live six years in space just so we could go back to the Ground and hate each other again. Not after all we've been through/" 

Murphy notices how she says live. _Live._ Not _survive._

"She's right." Bellamy comments. "Spacekru, right?" 

Murphy snickers a bit. "So much cooler than Skaikru." 

The seven of them chuckle- the joke wasn't really that funny, but they do anyways. It's comfortable, it's easy. 

"It'll be fine." Bellamy murmurs into Murphy's ear, his lips grazing his skin. "I promise." 

Murphy sighs, looking up at Bellamy. "I'll be holding you to that, Blake." 

The seven of them stand their a while longer, illuminated by the Earth. Quietly, they hope the Ground welcomes them back just as the Ring had.


End file.
